Mystery of the Variety Show
Mystery of the Variety Show is the twelfth episode of Mister T: The Animated Series. It is inspired by the Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and guest stars Paul McCartney. It was also Part 1 of a two-part episode that was concluded in the next episode, Another Variety Show Caper. Premise The team is going to perform on a variety show in front of a TV audience. When the elephants for another act are stolen, the team with help from Paul McCartney investigate. Can the team find out who is behind the theft? Vince, who is the most eager to perform on the variety show, is determined to find out who. Plot Mr. T talks about determination with a class of high school students. He explains that determination is a good thing to have when you want to do something. But too much of a good thing can be bad. That is what Vince found out when the team had solve not one but two mysteries, the first of which was called the'' Mystery of the Variety Show''. Mr. T and the team are to perform on a variety show special soon. When they arrive for rehearsal, they learn from the special's host, Jim Sullivan, that there has been trouble on the set. Strange things had been happening and now the elephant act might be cancelled because the elephants are gone. They question the man behind the act, Tony Santino. He denies any involvement in stealing the elephants. They also question his partner, Amanda Carter, a former member of the team who went on to better things. She too denies any involvement. Vince is upset. The team applied to perform on the show to cheer Vince up after the events of the previous episode. He is determined to find who is responsible. The team gets help from an unexpected source. That unexpected source is Paul McCartney, formerly of the Beatles, who points them in the direction of the shows director, John Carrigan. Paul McCartney explains that he thought that John Carrigan looked familiar. He thought he had seen Carrigan in a newspaper article months before. When he checked the news on the Internet, he figured it out. Carrigan had just been released from jail that time. John Carrigan is a repeat offender suspected of involvement in smuggling. Mr. T and the team storm his estate. They discover a shed and in there are the stolen elephants. Vince spots Carrigan. A fight breaks out. Ultimately, Carrigan is captured by Mr. T and arrested. More evidence of smuggling is revealed. There is enough evidence to convict Carrigan of smuggling. Vince is glad that the elephant act is saved. What no one knows is that another crime is about to be committed. To be continued... Cast and Characters Suspects Culprit Songs Location * New York City, NY ** Ed Sullivan Theater Trivia * This episode was one of a handful of episodes of Mister T: The Animated Series that generated controversy for its content. * This was the first episode which had an opening segment but not a closing segment as this was Part 1 of a two-part episode.